HOw now Frere Cyprian, how liked you your lod­g [...]ng to night?

By Saint Francis, as men that cannot help it: Well I perceive they will make a riddance of us all by degrees; they'le leave neither head nor tayle: Now they have done with the Miter, they have a fling at us; a man may cleerely see, that here will bee no longer pla [...]e for us. Wee must even entreate them to give us our Trinkets and a­way.

Away saist thou; Yea by my Cowle, and glad wee may scape so, by the hope I have in our B [...]essed Lady, when they first came in upon us, in that unacquainted fashion, and no way pleasing to Franc [...]scans, bring [...]ng Constables, Offi­cers and Watch-men with them, as though they had to doe with Theeves, not with Fathers; with such sad lookes, and brow-bent words, I doubted what would become of mee, fearing least they would have tooke my sanctified Coard from off my middle, and have hang'd me in't.

What then thou shouldest have gone to heaven in thy Order: had they done so, or as bad, or thou hadst had thy end by a Rope, so thy mends in thy hand: For this Parlia­ment goes through-stitch with it; they have removed other blocks than wee, they beare all downe before them▪ upon my conscience I speake it, If either his Holinesse, yea, or very [Page] Saint Francis himselfe had been there among us, they would scarce have tooke them along for company.

I beleeve it as surely as I doe Purgatorie, or salvati­on by observing Saint Francis his iniunctions; wee are all out of esteeme here, both head and tayle: wee have seen our best dayes, I feare me in England, which now gives us up; and is growne wearie of us, as is all the world besides, though I trust France will bid us welcome, as reason it hath, for sure I am, that I for my part, by the VVorship [...]owe un­to Saint Francis, have not been unmindfull of our Covent there; and have conveied over as much English gold, as any other here imployd for that purpose, and can give an honest account of my Talent, as you know Frere.

I t [...]ust the same Frere.

But are you of an opinion that wee may bid our last Ad [...]eu to Somers [...]-hous [...], and never plant Julips there a­gaine, shrift Lad [...]e [...] [...]n the Chappell, take the paines to goe home to their husbands, nor young Gentlewomen, looke o­ver the wall into the Thames, and throw them our blessing, that may safely carry them over be it that they live on the o­ther side, and winde against Tide, make the water boysterous.

Lets thinke no more of that then of forsaking our holy order Frere Robert: alas, the chiefest of our freinds are on the other side the Poole; hardly could we keep house, when they were all at home, we were put to it then: our resort hath les­sened, and consequently our offerings, ever sin [...]e the sitting of this great Assembly at VVestminster, wee have had such watchfu [...]l eyes upon us; that it was impossible but that our doings must needs slack, though I never thought, that wee should ever be brought to that p [...]sse, that Somerset-House should have been to hot to hold us.

Frere Cyprian, I liked not that great fall of part of the wall on the back-side of our Mansion, Christmas last was two yeere, I liked it not [...] s [...]y, for it ever since ran in my m [...]nde, and I could by no me [...]nes ridde my selfe of that conceit, that i [...] did pre [...]end some ruine, r [...]nt or separation of the fraterni­t [...]e, and rather then the land would longer be troubled with us, if the gates were too little, they would give us an exit, by breaking downe a maine part of the wall.

I presaged as much Brother by the comming of the Scots into England: S. Francis you know never affected that Nation; as who are the professed enemies of idlenesse and ignorance, both which are the most considerable ingredients in the composition of our regularitie.

My nose dropt just three drops of blood: the very first day of the sitting of this Parliament: and passing from S. Iames to Somerset-house, a Hare crossed me thrice.

The banishing of all the Catholiks from London, and within 15. miles of the Parliament: was no signe of our long stay.

Nor the fall of the Hierarchiein Temporalls, any good token of our growth in any Spiritualls.

When Con. and Russetta were dismissed, men I think that would have found and wrought as strong meanes to have kept their footing, as could be procured, when these once [...]oo­ked b [...]ew, and must be content to take water: I durst never after thinke of laying my bones amongst the Sanctified Ju­lips.

But who would have thought that they would have stoopt so low as us poore men, clad in medley Linsey VVol­sey, with Tunnell on our heads, and though not strung, yet girt in hemp, having perhaps our woodden Knicknacks, our Crosses and bunch of Beades, with such pretty things redicu­lous about us, but nothing that they can discerne suspitious.

Ho frere Rob. Ho, ho: They tooke us not for Saints for all that; he that hath an ill name is halfe hanged: they have heard too much of our prankes elsewhere, and in par­ticular, what exployts some of our livery have lately acted in France, and by name how Father Ioseph hath lately behaved himselfe there, whose Woolvish attempts hath brought them cleane out of conceit with our Sheepes cloathing: they are contrived into so bad a beliefe of us, that they sticke not to say, that our wills are as good, and conditions as bad, if we had an occasion as seasonable. Nay, a Gentleman told mee, within these few dayes, walking in the Garden, that hee saw the Hornes through my Cowle, and that hee was sure, could he but have the patience to heare Masse, hee should heare the Fiend grumble, if not reare.

I confesse Frere Cyprian, it is a difficult thing to charme men out of an opinion once tooke up; so that is be­come a Proverb, The Divell and the Frier will be honest to­gether.

Was it not pretty what one of the attendants motio­ned unto one of the Gentlemen of the House, that came with the unwelcome Habeas Corpus for out non-residencie, and unto the two Const [...]b [...]es that came with him?

Pretty, sayst thou brother? Pretty indeed: hee de­serves to be cursed with Bell, Booke and Candle who ever he was; and questionlesse our holy Patron and Saint, never be­steaded us more, then by his intercession to the Virgin-Mo­ther, to put back his Leviticall advice from taking effect and execution from the Gentlemen and the Constable: for sure­ly, had we not been permitted to have laid downe our ha­bits, and to have come forth something in fashion, like other men, we should have been the Owles of wonderment unto all the birds between Somerset-house and Westminster.

The merry whorson would have had us come out just as the Parliament men and Constable tooke us, (O sweet St. Francis authour of our salvat on) wee shou [...]d have had more hollowing, hooping and shooting at our heeles, then ever was made after Beares, Cutpurses, or Clarken-well whoores.

Nay worse, another wished as we [...]l to us as he, would have had us tied a-row in our Copes, like Gally-slaves; and then we should have carried all the Strand a breadth, and what Coach or Carosse belonging to what Noble-man soever, had chanced to have come by, he must have had the patience till one of our poore Fathers had been unlinked, or else borne Cope, Fathers, and all before him.

What ever those conceited Knaves were, I believe there will be never a Frier in the world the more for them.

If none bore more respect unto Friers then they, for my part I would rather turn Divel then Frier: and as I am, the first thing I would doe, should be to cast my frock into the nettles, and lay hold on Spade or Mattocke, whereto I must confesse, I have a right able body, had I as much minde to labour as a­bility.

A third merry companion was bold to tell me, that my holy Cowle was made like a Vintners tunnell.

That fellow wished better to the Vintner then any of us, I warrant him.

A fourth tole me, that I had stuffe enough about my middle to have tied up all the prisoners that were to bee exe­cuted this Sessions, and put my selfe in the number.

Mr. Constable requested my habit, or some part of it, to make a strainer for his wives graines.

Had the Constables wise been there, and knowne the abilities of thy pendents, thou mightst have received more favour of her then of her husband.

Thats not unlikely: for had we not ever been more beloved of women then their husbands, we had never beene of that standing in the world we are; notwithstanding these hard times, I know, thankes to good. St. Francis, those de­vout Catholicke women, and some no small ones neither, who will keep it not onely from their husbands, but even from their owne selves and children, to give it unto us, and thinke themselves happy that they have it to the same end.

Whatsoever their husbands count us, seeing it c [...]n­not be remedied why let it pass: but could we get a repreeve to stay in England but one seaven yeares, to see the toward­nes of the brats, I am assured that wee should finde the chil­dren more affectionate to us for their fathers sakes: for I am confident, ever since wee came to be inwardly acqua [...]nted with their mothers, wee have done our best to breed them.

It is an especiall gift given to us by Sa [...]nt Francis, that whithersoever wee come, we p [...]opagate to the Order.

But must we for France without deni [...]ll?

But what if our entertainment bee not so good there as wee expect? what then? For not to flatter our selves, even Catholickes themselves are fallen three farthings in a peny of their esteeme of us, howsoever some of us have handled the busines.

What if our entertainment shall not bee to our mindes? wee must bring our mindes to our entertainment; but if wee shall finde Charity and Devotion quite past re [...]o­very, [Page] and that in no sort wee are likely to live upon it like ourselves; my counsell is, to alter our copie. What? if I am bound to serve St. Francis, St. Francis is bound to keep me. No peny no Pater noster. Hearke, one knockes, or opens doore: pray God we are not sent for to be doom'd.

I feare me it is even so: for ever after apprehension followes sentence.